Elementary Essentials

On May 2, 2024, the Olathe Board of Education approved the purchase of Wit and Wisdom. It is official, and now we can place the order for the materials. The materials will begin arriving in June and the district textbook department will inventory and barcode all the materials this summer. All teacher and student materials will be distributed at the beginning of the school year.

During the Olathe Summer Conference, there will be grade level sessions providing a chance to dive into the materials and begin to think about implementation. Join us!

Thank you so much for assisting with the process of checking in Journeys materials. The Gaylord boxes will be available to dispose of Journeys materials until the first week of June. Once all of the Journeys materials have been disposed of, you are welcome to put other materials in the boxes that are NOT BARCODED. You may ask your building textbook person to double check any books with barcodes on them to see if they are still active in the system. If they are NOT ACTIVE in the system, then you may place them in the boxes; otherwise, active barcoded items need to be retained at the school.

The goal of the Elementary Scope and Sequence Committee is to work in grade level teams to integrate and connect Wit and Wisdom, Writing Units of Study, Science, Social Studies, and other content. This committee will create scope and sequence documents that will be distributed in August for use during the 2024-25 school year.

We received over 65 requests to be a member of this team with only 18 spots available. It was a bit of a Rubik’s Cube to align all the pieces. We had offered different weeks in June and needed to balance the number of teachers from each elementary school along with school demographics, which all figured into the selection process.

We appreciate the willingness of the following individuals to do this work:

Kindergarten – Brandi Michaelis, Ashley Wheeler, Kimberly Alquist, Sarah White

First Grade – Becca Stanley, Nancy Smith, Chelsie Kettler, Rhianna Penner

Second Grade – Maggie Richardson, Tracy Key, Megan Milbury, Jennifer Schwisow

Third Grade – Stephanie Attwood, Crystal Bader, Gina Blessing, Dara Bennett

Fourth Grade – Courtney Hallenbeck/Janet Milford, Colene Homa, Christi Williams, Tanya Terhune

Fifth Grade – April Schoenberg, Lauren Keepes, Shae Menner, Caitlyn Wilkes

The information below was provided through a grade level email last week.

The 2023 English Language Arts Standards were updated to reflect the vision of the Kansas State Board of Education. These standards have been reviewed to support each school district’s ability to utilize structured literacy as the explicit and evidence-based approach to teaching literacy skills to all students.

We have prepared a crosswalk document for your grade level with the changes from the 2017 to the 2023 Kansas State ELA Standards. The document is attached to this email. In comparing the standards, many of the changes come in the wording. Here are a few examples:

1. RF.K.2

• (2017) Demonstrate understanding of spoken words, syllables, and sounds (phonemes).
• (2023) Demonstrate understanding of phonemes (sounds).

2. RF.3.3

• (2017) Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words.
• (2023) Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding and encoding words.

3. RF.4.4a

• (2017) Reading on-level text with purpose and understanding.
• (2023) Read complex text with purpose and understanding.

4. RF.4.4c

• (2017) Use context to confirm or self-correct word recognition and understanding, rereading as necessary.
• (2023) Use the Four-Part Processing model for Word Recognition to affirm or self-correct to increase accuracy in fluent reading.

5. RL.2.10

• (2017) Use knowledge of language and its conventions to compare formal and informal uses of English.
• (2023) Compare formal and informal uses of English.

6. W.K.5

• (2017) With guidance and support from adults, respond to questions and suggestions from peers and add details to strengthen writing as needed.
• (2023) With guidance and support from adults, respond to questions and suggestions from peers and add details to strengthen writing as needed.

Almost all of these standards have wording changes with the exception of RF.4.4c. The Four-Part Processing model will be studied in the fall of next year to support you in teaching this standard.

Please take a few minutes to review the other changes in your grade level standards. When you are finished, complete this short survey https://forms.office.com/r/hfCSqRY4Bs by May 22, 2024.

The survey asks if you support the adoption of these new standards by our Olathe Board of Education for implementation starting fall 2024. If you do NOT support the changes, please provide a list of concerns or questions.

Are you looking for a summer job opportunity? The Learning Services Department is in need of assistance to help sort and deliver Wit and Wisdom ELA resources throughout the district this summer. Must be available Monday – Thursday from 7:00 am – 3:00 pm (there may be some flexibility with daily hours). Must also have the ability to lift up to 40 lbs. Must have reliable transportation to get to different locations across Olathe daily.

We are looking for two certified employees and 10 classified employees. We would like to have two teams that will go to the school buildings to do the work. Each team will have 1 certified person (to lead the team) and 5 classified people, depending on interest. The certified lead will be paid $18.00 per hour and the classified team members will be paid $15.00 per hour. High school students that are at least 16 years old will be paid $10.00 per hour. Come join the fun this summer!

Click here to access the job description Summer Textbook Project Temporary Employee - Olathe Public Schools Careers (oraclecloud.com)

Finally, I want to take the opportunity to say thank you to everyone that I have had the opportunity to work with in the Elementary ELA Coordinator role throughout the school year. I have enjoyed becoming a member of the Olathe teaching community. This district has an outstanding group of teachers that provide quality instruction to thousands of students throughout the district each and every day. I am honored to be a part of this team. I look forward to continuing our work next year. Enjoy a healthy and restful summer!

See this month’s ELL spotlight regarding scaffolding strategies in the classroom. Scaffolding instruction helps students ‘stay with you’ during the lesson and allows them to access content. Check out the spotlight for ideas. Have a great summer!

If your students are using IXL regularly, but you're not using IXL Analytics yet, you may find a lot of value in the connected resource! Learn how IXL's actionable insights can help you teach more effectively every day. To learn more about IXL Analytics, click here!

Burns & McDonnell’s one-day Educators Summit, July 30, will supply elementary educators with the tools and resources to cultivate awareness and ignite students’ passion for science, technology, engineering and math. Participants will hear from Burns & McDonnell professionals working in STEM careers, participate in hands-on STEM activities centered around inspiring and empowering the next generation of STEM leaders, and engage with other STEM educators. Learn more and register.

Join the professionals at Garmin for thought-provoking sessions on upcoming trends in STEM, opportunities in the tech industry, and cutting-edge technologies led by those on the front lines of engineering and product design during the Garmin Educators Summit, with sessions for secondary educators on June 6, and elementary educators on June 7. Learn more and register.

Please check out the social studies newsletter for important social studies related items.

Congrats to our final Social Studies contest (Round 5) Winners of the school year! Shelley Roberts (BR-3) and Jo Couch (RR-5) - your prize is on the way! Our Social Studies contests will resume in the fall.

3rd Grade Teachers:

Please help us refine the City of Olathe Program at City Hall by filling out this short feedback form. We really appreciate your time spent sending feedback. Next year's dates will be shared in the fall.

4th Grade Teachers:

Please help us refine the Kansas Day Celebration Program at Mahaffie by filling out this short feedback form. We really appreciate your time spent sending feedback. Next year's dates will be shared in the fall.

Please let us know which Social Studies Assessment product you had your students complete this year (essay or infographic) as well as your general feedback. We really appreciate your time spent sending feedback.

I hope each of you has had an amazing week. Have a SUPER SUMMER BREAK! Thanks for all you do!